Secret Histories of Nerd Mysteries

Dating sims are a often forgotten genre of video game in the west, predominantly because of its lewd origins.  However some of the most hard hitting people in the video game industry have worked on dating sims, and it's a genre that deserves more respect!

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Host Brenda is back at it again with more spooky scary ghost stories from your favorite amusement parks.  What ghosts lurk in America's oldest theme park, and did a little girl really fall to her death from the Simpsons ride at Universal Studios Hollywood?  And what famous ghost has been forced to watch Shrek 4D for all eternity?  

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While Saturday morning cartoons have been around for decades, the concept of the kid's programming block is a fairly recent invention of the 90's.  Starting with the Disney Afternoon, channels began carefully curating children's programming into themed blocks, not only to satisfy new government regulations requiring certain hours of educational programming, but to compete with the brand new 24 hour networks like nickelodeon and cartoon network. 

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Blind boxes are the sensation that has taken over the world.  This episode touches on the potential origins of these tiny little collectables, as well as the history of several popular brands;   Kid Robot's Dunnys, Sonny Angels, Smiskis, and Labubus! 

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As Millennials reached teenhood in the early 2000's, it became apparent that there was a serious hole in the market when it came to creating educational content for them.  Enter the Children's Workshop and the team behind Nickelodeon, who made a home for teens looking for more serious content on a programming block called "The N" (which just so happened to be the nighttime block for preschool channel "noggin").  

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We're trying something new this week by bringing you a selection of updates to previous episodes.  Have you been dying to know what happened to the floating McDonalds?  Or what is the real reason Sonic Sat AM never got a third season?  These updates, along with updates about Top Thrill Dragster and Kingda Ka are all here for you enjoyment.    

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According to Hasbro's website, the board game "Monopoly" was created in 1934 by board game designer Charles Darrow.  But what if that information is completely false?  What if Monopoly dates back thirty years earlier, and has a secret history that Hasbro and Monopoly's previous rights owner, Parker Brothers, has tried so desperately to erase?  

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Back when the internet used to be fun, a little virtual pet website started the trend of doing yearly April Fools Day pranks.  From introducing new pets to unleashing an incurable disease upon its citizens, Host Brenda tells Austin all about the best pranks throughout Neopian History.  

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Ten years ago, the Steven Universe episode Jailbreak aired on Cartoon Network revealing that the character of Garnet was actually two lesbians in a trenchcoat (but it's actually more complicated than that). Host Austin shares the story of the making of this monumental episode along with audio clips from an exclusive interview with show creator Rebecca Sugar and Executive producer Ian James-Quartey!

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It’s not MaxFunDrive without a wild kickoff spectacular! Former real-life VJ and host of MTV's Spring Break 1999, Dave Holmes, takes your favorite MaxFun hosts through some wacky ‘90s- and Spring Break-themed mini games!!

Featuring: Dave Holmes, Jeremy Bent, Oscar Montoya, Dimitry Pompée, Tom Lum, Ellen Weatherford, Alex Schmidt, Brenda Snell, Drea Clark, Alonso Duralde, Dan McCoy, Jordan Morris, Manolo Moreno, Ella Hubber, Caroline Roper, Ella McLeod, John-Luke Roberts, Justin McElroy, Clint McElroy, Mike Cabellon, Sierra Katow, Hal Lublin, Danielle Radford, John Moe, Christian Dueñas, Christian Duguay.

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